


Chase the Morning

by stonecoldsteverogers (youdickbag), youdickbag



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Theater - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-21
Updated: 2012-12-25
Packaged: 2017-11-21 22:48:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/602934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youdickbag/pseuds/stonecoldsteverogers, https://archiveofourown.org/users/youdickbag/pseuds/youdickbag
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on a prompt by 67chevyimpala and texasbowlegs on Tumblr:</p><p>J2 High school. Jensen is a senior, the stage manager for their school’s upcoming performance (your choice) and Jared is one of the stage hands whom Jensen likes to ride a little hard… in more ways than one. One evening, Jensen decides the lighting booth is the perfect place to corner Jared for a little one on one and that’s where things get interesting. The lights are changing colors at an erratic rate and neither of them bothered to switch off their headsets. Now everyone knows, including that dick Chad who can’t keep his mouth shut. SHAMELESS SMUT!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally a very belated birthday present, so belated that it became a Christmas present as well. Also, it was the first RPF I've ever written. Hopefully I didn't do too bad.

Jared could honestly say that he'd never expected today to go like this.

It wasn't that Jensen was on his case again; that was nothing new. Jared had been a stage hand since he started high school, and had never met Jensen Ackles before, never even heard of the guy before in his entire life, despite both of them apparently living in the same neighborhood and going to the same schools and everything. 

Jensen was a senior, and Jared was...not. Jensen was also in the actors' club, and he was directing the school's performance (Jensen called it an "adaptation") of Repo: The Genetic Opera. Yeah, that Repo. People got inordinately excited, Jared thought, whenever they found out, and coming from Jared,  _that_  said a lot. Jared could tell that Jensen thought so, too.

Jared could tell a lot about Jensen; when he knew Jensen wasn't watching Jared watch Jensen. He could tell that Jensen took pride in his appearance, which he proved time and again, day after day, by showing up at school and being the most attractive guy there by a mile. It was something Jared's school had never expected, so when Jensen just showed up one day, he started waves, because no one should look that good. Ever. 

Tall, lean, with short, spiky dark blonde hair, a face made for modeling, and that _walk_. Jensen had a walk, and it wasn't quite like anything Jared had seen before. It was slow, but deliberate. It had  _purpose_. And nobody knew what the purpose was, but everyone wanted to know. Jensen's walk, with those weird knees that bent outward, seemed to beckon people to him like bees to flowers, like moths to a flame, like some other ridiculous animal metaphor that Jared wished didn't apply to him.

Wait, what was he talking about? ...Right, why today had completely blown through every one of his wildest expectations. Well, Jared supposed, he wasn't too far off with his current train of thought, since Jensen was the one who'd exceeded his expectations. It was always Jensen, that asshole.

"Hey, Padalecki, I'm not paying you to sit around and look pretty."

"Ackles, you aren't paying me at all. This is a high school, and I'm volunteering. I'm already here earlier than everybody else because for some reason you think that I don't have better things to do than lift heavy things and set them back down again while you shout in my ear. What else do you want from me?"

Jensen sat down next to him, surveying the empty auditorium for a moment before kicking his feet and saying, "A pony, a Learjet, a degree in theater, ginger-red hair, to be the king of the world, and tacos for lunch today. Is that really so much to ask for, you baby?"

"Ackles, do me a favor and get some realistic expectations," Jared replied dismissively. "The day that you get red hair is the day that I die my hair lime-green."

"That a bet, Padalecki?" Jared studiously avoided paying attention to the spark in Jensen's eyes as he shook his head slowly. 

"Are you being so friendly because it's early in the morning and you don't have to put on a show for anyone?"

Jensen's eyes narrowed, and his joking demeanor faded. "No, Padalecki, I was being friendly because I like to torture myself trying to get you to do anything productive. If you aren't gonna work, then just leave. When the set falls apart or the lighting is unbelievably shitty, I'll make sure to let everyone know that Jared Padalecki couldn't be bothered to actually  _do_ what he's supposedly volunteering for."

"Quite the rant there, Ackles. Are you done?" Jared asked disinterestedly; this Jensen he knew how to deal with. "In case you forgot, the show doesn't start until this weekend, and it's Monday. The set will be completely finished by Wednesday at the very latest, so you can calm down. And the A/V stuff will be here tomorrow, so if it's shitty, it'll be the people we got it from's fault, not mine. I have worked harder on this than at least eighty percent of the other stage hands, and at _your_  unreasonable, inexplicably repeated requests."

"Why are you so difficult?"

"Why are _you_ so difficult?"

"Because this is important to me!"

"So you're gonna ride my ass, the only person who already knows you that you haven't scared away, into the ground? What makes you think I'd stick around for that?"

Jensen sighed, looking fatigued. "Whatever, Padalecki. I just want the show to be good. Think you can make that happen?"

"I'll certainly do my best," Jared replied in a monotone.

"Do better than that, or your ass won't be the only thing I ride into the ground."

"That a promise?" Jared asked, waggling his eyebrows. Jensen sighed and stood up, brushing off his pants before leaving the auditorium. "Bye, Ackles! I'm glad we could have this talk, I feel like we really connected." Jensen had the good graces to flip Jared off before he made it out the door.

\------------------------------------------------------

Jared watched Jensen pace back and forth across the stage while the cast and crew members sat in the seats; cast in the front row, crew two rows behind them. Jensen had called for a meeting in a sound bite on the school news report, and since Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons had been the days that meetings for anything were usually on, Jensen calling the meeting on a Tuesday had caused some confusion, as well as scheduling conflicts.

The meeting didn't start until everyone was able to show up, almost 45 minutes after school had let out for the day. People were starting to get antsy, and Jensen finally clapped his hands twice and yelled out, "Is everyone here finally?" At the murmured replies, Jensen said, "I hope that the cast isn't planning to speak like that at the show. But I guess we'll find out."

 _Here we go again,_  Jared thought, rolling his eyes. Jensen was a hard taskmaster, and he'd been hard on Jared - pun not intended - more so than many other people, but he still asked for a lot of the people who were volunteering their free time to help with something they enjoyed. _What is his problem?_

"I just wanted to let you all know that we'll have dress rehearsals on Thursday and Friday. Our audiovisual equipment  _hasn't shown up yet_ ," and here he had the nerve to pause and look directly at Jared accusingly, "So hopefully it'll be here by Thursday. The dress rehearsals are separate for the cast and the crew, and the crew's is on Friday. That means that by Friday, you need to know your lines and cues, including any changes we may have made, and you need to know the stage directions. We'll be doing a straight run-through then, and at the end I'll be letting you know what you need to work on or fix for the show on Saturday.

"On Thursday, if our  _really important_ lighting and audio show up by then, I want the crew to show up, and we'll do the same thing. A straight run-through of the entire show. I want to make sure that everything will be in working order so that the set doesn't fall apart or we find out that the plugs don't match the wall outlets. I also want to make sure that all our stage hands know what they're doing, because if we've gotten this far with people thinking this is  _Carmen_ , then we may as well just give the whole thing up."

"Wow, Ackles, no pressure or anything," Jared said quietly, yet Jensen's head snapped as he fixed his gaze on him. 

"No, Padalecki, there's no pressure to make sure that our actors don't look like a bunch of neanderthals who decided to learn ballet and our stage hands don't look like they learned how to work machinery by reading  _Mathematics for Dummies_."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"It doesn't have to make sense as long as you get my point, Padalecki," Jensen replied forcefully. 

"Well, I don't get it, so do you think you could repeat it without all the fancy metaphors?"

"They're similes, Padalecki. You mean you don't work  _and_  you don't go to class? Why are you even here?"

"To see your bright and shining mug, of course," Jared replied sweetly, batting his eyelashes. Jensen's lips thinned while a smattering of laughter made its way through the other people seated.

Jensen, to Jared's surprised, gave him a huge smile that showcased every single one of his teeth and then said, "Then I guess you won't mind staying behind for a little bit after I send everyone else away? Since you hardly did anything yesterday, I guess I have to hold your hand to make sure you get anything done."

"Oh my goodness, would you really?" Jared squealed, and Jensen raised an eyebrow before waving his hand.

"I just wanted to let everyone know about the dress rehearsals that I just went over. So I guess that's it for today, sorry to have kept you all waiting and away from what I'm sure are unbearably busy lives. Padalecki, you stay, everyone else can go. And make sure you bring absolutely everything you need for the dress rehearsals!" Jensen nearly shouted this last part over the noises of people speedily getting up and leaving. 

Jared stood up as well, stretching and yawning before lazily scratching his stomach. "Padalecki, where do you think you're going?"

"To the bathroom, Ackles, did you want the hand-holding to start right this minute?"

"Is that an invitation?"

"No, actually. It's a demand. You can also hold my di--"

"Jared!" Jared turned around to see a girl with long reddish-brown hair waving to him, so with a cheeky smile at Jensen, Jared turned and walked toward her, waving back. When he got closer, she grabbed him by the arm and hauled him out of the auditorium. "Whoa, Julie, easy on the merchandise."

"Jared, why are you antagonizing him like that?"

"Antagonizing who?"

"Jensen Ackles, who else? If I didn't know any better, I'd say the two of you were flirting."

"Yeah, because animals naturally flirt with each other before the beheadings start," Jared replied with a snort. "No, he just likes to get on my case for no good reason, and this is the best way I've figured out of how to deal with him without actually killing him for being such a hardass all the time."

"You're sure that's all it is?" Julie asked him. 

"Well, I mean, yeah he's  _attractive_ , like kind of stunningly so, but yeah, I'm just trying to get him to lay off. So far, over-the-top and in-his-face seems to work the best."

"Okay, Jared. Just make sure he knows that, too."

"What are you talking about? Of course he knows that. I'd be surprised if he even knew how to flirt sincerely, let alone want to flirt with lil’ old me," Jared replied, before turning and heading back into the auditorium.

Jensen was sitting on the stage cross-legged. He appeared to be reading something on his phone, and he was chewing on the tip of his thumb looking more stressed than Jared had ever seen him before. Suddenly, he set to texting feverishly, thumbs a blur as they flew across his keyboard. "Whoa, Ackles, calm down before you set your phone on fire," Jared said, frowning when Jensen appeared to ignore him completely.

"Ackles.  _Ackles._ " He even snapped once or twice near him, and was hopeful when Jensen stopped texting, only to feel disappointed when Jensen continued to sit there staring at his phone. He was going to bite a hole in his lip and thumb if he didn't stop, Jared noted, and said cautiously, "Jensen?"

It sounded weird when Jared actually said Jensen's first name, but it must've been weird to Jensen too, because his head lifted quickly, mouth dropping open slightly and letting Jared catch a glimpse of white teeth (that went  _inward_ ) and pink gums before he cleared his throat and said, "Padalecki, I'm glad you could finally make your way back in here. Come on, I want you to look at the graffiti on our walls and tell me what's wrong with it." Jensen looked at his phone one last time before standing up and shoving it in his pocket. 

\------------------------------------------------------

Jared looked up and said, "Come in!" when he heard the knock at his door. His mom opened the door and looked at him accusingly. "Uh, mom? What, what did I do?"

"I don't know, but there's a very handsome young man downstairs right now asking for you. You're gonna need to explain yourself."

"Mom, I don't know who you're talking about," Jared replied, confused, as he got up from his bed and walked past his mother to go downstairs. He didn't know what to expect, but what he hadn't even come close to expecting was to see Jensen Ackles standing in his living room. "Ackles?"

Jensen looked up at him and cleared his throat. "Padalecki," he replied, looking weirdly uncertain and out of his element. Yet he didn't look any less attractive than normal. He'd been wearing a long-sleeved green button down shirt over dark grey slacks today, and his hair had been slicked back like he'd had someone to impress. 

But  _now_ , he looked relaxed, and it made it hard for Jared to concentrate on much of anything. His hair had been ruffled so it now stood on end in every direction, his shirt was halfway unbuttoned, his sleeves rolled up, and he'd taken his shoes off so that Jared, if he wanted to, could see the black dress socks he was wearing. He looked incredible, and Jared knew on some level that Jensen was talking, and on another level that his mother was watching them suspiciously, but those levels were buried far underneath his brain's screams of  _JENSEN ACKLES_.

"Jared!" Jared blinked rapidly and looked at his mother, who had her hands on her hips. "You're being rude. Mr. Ackles here is trying to ask you something, but you're completely ignoring him."  _Trust me, Mom, I am definitely NOT ignoring Jensen._  But the fact that Jensen was trying to ask him something had his curiosity piqued, so this time he actually paid attention. 

"I was wondering, if you had some free time, if you'd want to go do something with me," Jensen said carefully, and Jared's jaw dropped a little. "You don't have to look so shocked, Padalecki, it isn't like we're just going to be doing this for fun."

 _Right, right, banter._  "You mean...you didn't come to sweep me off my feet for the most amazing night of our young lives?"

"Not even close. You have to make up for missing work that could've been done since I had to end the meeting early."

"You couldn't find anyone else?"

"You're the only one I ever have to worry about. And since you've put 'so much' into this, I figured that you wouldn't mind having to do a little more."

Jared sighed; Jensen could ask him to do just about anything, and he'd complain about most of it, but he'd probably do it. Especially in times like this when Jensen seemed so reserved and even subdued. Something had definitely happened to Jensen today, and Jared was guessing that it was whatever had made him end the meeting early. 

"What did you have in mind?"

"Something that'll require more than an undershirt and basketball shorts, that's for sure," Jensen replied with a smirk. "We'll be in public, so do you think you can make yourself look somewhat presentable?"

"I guess so," Jared replied with a heavy sigh; noticing his mother was still watching them. She was no less wary, but now she looked a little entertained as well. "When am I supposed to be doing this?"

"Uh, tonight would be nice, if you aren't doing anything horribly super important right now."

"Well, I do have a very nice bed..." It sounded a lot less awkward in his head, but the way that Jensen's eyes widened and his face flushed made it almost worth it. "Or, um, actually, I'm not really doing anything. So tonight would be fine. I'll go get dressed and then we can go." He turned around and ran back up the stairs without waiting for a reply, his mother on his heels. 

"Who is that, and why are you telling him about your bed?!"

"Mom, that's Jensen." At that, his mother grabbed his arm and stopped him short. 

" _That's_  Jensen Ackles? I thought that you two fought like cats and dogs. He seems quite nice, if a little critical."

"He's only critical toward me, and trust me, I'm just as confused by his behavior as you are. At school, we can't even walk past each other without arguing about something."

"And yet here he is, wanting to take you somewhere? Is this like a date?"

"No!"

"Jared, I think this is like a date."

"I don't think it is, Mom."

"You're going on a date with  _Jensen_."

"Mom!"

"Make sure that you put on some deodorant and cologne, since you have to look 'presentable' for your  _date_."

"Okay, you have to leave for me to get dressed, so if you could do that that'd be great okay bye!" Jared shoved gently at his mother until she went smiling out of his door. Closing it, Jared selected an outfit that was somewhat like Jensen's, since he had no idea where they were going or what they were going to be doing.

After donning a shirt like Jensen's but dark blue, and his nicest pair of jeans, Jared ran his hands through his hair to try and get it to lay at least a little bit flat and walked back downstairs. Jensen was sitting on Jared's couch, leaning back with his hands on his thighs as he chatted with Jared's mother. She was laughing at something as Jared came down, and he thought it sounded something like, "Such a pain to get him to cooperate."

"If I'm so hard to deal with, why did you come to my house?" Jared said, crossing his arms when Jensen shrugged. "Whatever, Ackles. So, does this pass your inspection?" He spread his arms and spun slowly, waiting to hear Jensen's inevitable criticism. 

When he turned back around, Jensen was watching him quietly, and suddenly Jared's collar felt itchy. He fought the urge to fidget (which, where did  _that_  come from) as Jensen continued to simply stare, steady green eyes looking for something that Jared couldn't figure out. Finally, Jensen said, "Yeah, Padalecki. Who'd have thought that you actually had nice clothes?"

"Just because we don't all walk around looking like a page from an Armani catalogue doesn't mean that we dress in rags and dirt," Jared replied shortly, slipping his shoes on. "Are you ready to go?"

"I will be in like two seconds."

"Well, come on, Ackles, I don't have all day to wait for you." For once, Jensen didn't immediately reply as he slipped his shoes back on and went to open the door. "I guess we'll be back later, Mom."

"Okay, Jared. Have fun on your  _date_." Jared growled, and his mother laughed as Jensen watched the exchange with one eyebrow raised. "Say goodbye to the nice boy, Mom. Jensen, tell the fun lady you'll have me back in one piece."

"I make no promises," Jensen responded, smirking. "It was nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Oh honey, call me Sherri," she beamed. "None of that 'ma'am' stuff, if you please."

Jensen laughed, and Jared found himself mildly dumbstruck. It was hard to imagine Jensen as anything but what he was being right now: pleasant, engaging, warm, and just all-around attractive. Jared knew what an asshole Jensen could be, but it was difficult to remember that as Jensen and Sherri laughed together like they'd been doing it for years.

"Okay, Sherri. Jared will be back before tomorrow, that much I can promise."

"Thank you, Jensen. Now you take good care of my precious little baby, and have fun on your date."

"Not a date!" Jared said as he pushed Jensen out the front door and closed it behind them on Sherri's laughter.

"She's nice," Jensen said offhandedly as they walked toward his car.

"Shut up and take me wherever we're going, Ackles," Jared shot back.

"Christ, Padalecki, you're bossy."

"Oh  _now_ you've got jokes."

"I've always had them, Padalecki, you're just a lot easier to make new ones for."

"Glad to know I can be of service." Jared would swear that he didn't find the contemplative look that overtook Jensen's features to be interesting, but he'd be lying. As they got in the car, Jared cleared his throat and said, "So, uh, where are we going?"

"To a show."

"Any show in particular?"

"Remember how I said you had work to make up for?" Jensen asked. At Jared's rolled eyes and nod, he continued, "They're doing a production of  _Repo_  at the community theater, and  _they've_  got lights. And microphones. So we're gonna go and see it and take what pointers we can. You'd better take notes, Padalecki."

"You don't ever let me have any fun," Jared mock pouted. 

"I'm the director, not your babysitter," Jensen replied, pulling out of the driveway. "So do you think we'll ever get those lights and equipment, or will we all just have to carry torches?"

The show was awesome, like Jared knew it would be, and he had actually learned a lot from watching the stage hands work the lights and the electronics. He didn't take notes like Jensen had badgered him to the entire time, but he still had a couple of ideas for the light equipment. 

Jensen pulled back into Jared's driveway and waited expectantly for Jared to exit the car. Before he did, Jared said, "I had a good time tonight."

"Surprised?"

"Shut up, Ackles, I'm trying to be sincere."

"How heartwarming. This won't make the dress rehearsal tomorrow all awkward, will it?" Jensen laughed again as Jared huffed and opened the door, stepping out. "Good night, Padalecki," Jensen said just before Jared closed the car door. Jared tossed a halfhearted wave behind him and listened to the car pulling out and driving away before walking back into his house, brain full of Jensen,  _Repo_ , and lights, in that order.

\------------------------------------------------------

Jared ran into the school and headed for the auditorium, circling around the back and getting to the door leading to the stage in time to hear his friend Chad yell out, "Hey, Jensen, do you think we could maybe get this show on the road?"

"Shut your trap, Murray," Jensen shot back. "Not until Padalecki gets here, since he's the only one of you who's dependable."

"And yet he's late," Chad pointed out. "It's cute that you think he's dependable, though. I'll have to let him know you said so. Maybe it'll go a long way toward thawing you two out and finally just getting in gay love with each other."

"When you talk, do you hear yourself, or does it just sound like animal noises pounding in your eardrums?" Jensen asked. 

"Interesting that you brought up animal noises when we were talking about Jared," Chad replied with a grin, getting his phone out. 

Jensen sighed exasperatedly and said, "What are you doing?"

"Telling Jared, of course."  _Is he really..._  Sure enough, Jared's phone vibrated, and he quickly pulled it out of his pocket, sliding it open to read the message.

_jensen is so gay 4 u dude. he says ur dependable & that's what he wants in a man._

Rolling his eyes, Jared walked out onto the stage and said, "Gee, Chad, thanks for your message. I found it to be really informative and stuff! Too bad I already heard everything past 'do you think maybe we could get this show on the road,' or I may even have been surprised."

Chad just shrugged, and Jared sighed before looking at Jensen, who was...avoiding meeting Jared's eyes? That was new. And weird. "So," Jared said, clearing his throat to breach the silence that had followed his arrival. "Did we get all the equipment and stuff?"

Jensen jumped and replied quickly, "Yes, finally! It was crazy how long we had to wait for this stuff that should've been here the day before yesterday, but now that it's here we can really get down to business. It's all outside though, in a big truck. So I'll need volunteers to help me lug everything in. Padalecki, Murray, you two are our first volunteers!"

"Why me?" Chad asked, taken aback. 

"Because you enjoy being helpful, of course," Jensen replied fake cheerily. "Now instead of sending lying text messages, you can put those extremities to productive use. Let's go." Jensen jumped down from the stage and headed around to a side door that led out into the hallway. Turning right, Jensen walked quickly, followed by Jared and a mumbling Chad until they took a left at the end of the hall and pushed through the double doors into the rear parking lot of the school. There were only maybe five or six cars there, and Jared could recognize Jensen's. He didn't recognize the huge black pickup next to it, but judging from the tarp over it he was guessing that that was the sound and light equipment.

Sure enough, when Jensen pulled the tarp back, there was everything Jared could think to look for: microphones, headsets, radios, light stands, bulbs, filters, hooks, bars, a projector, a projector screen, and so many cords Jared couldn't tell if the pile was alive or not.

"It's all here," Jared said, awed, and Jensen nodded, totally focused on the massive mountain of equipment that they would have to set up. "So how are we going to move all of this?"

"We should be getting more volunteers as soon as they're done taking their sweet time to get out here," Jensen replied. "Meanwhile, we're going to take the biggest stuff in first. That means the speakers. Murray, get the projector. Padalecki and I will get the speakers."

"I can carry some speakers and wires."

"No, I think just the projector will work fine for you."

"But why?"

"Because I wouldn't want you to strain your precious texting muscles," Jensen said, shifting things around until he picked up the projector and handed it to Chad, saying, "You'd better take in the next four seconds or I'll drop it and you'll get to pay to replace it." The projector started to slip, and Chad lunged for it, catching it just as it fell out of Jensen's grip. "Nice reflexes, Bruce Lee. Now carry that inside and see who else is coming."

Jared watched Chad go, listening to him complain until he went inside, then turned to Jensen and said, "You're sure you can handle carrying speakers as large as your torso?"

"I'm sure me and my small torso can handle it better than you and your height-induced clumsiness," Jensen shot back, peeling his pullover off and turning to throw it on top of his car. Jared tried not to stare, he really did, but Jensen wore long sleeves so often that this was probably the only opportunity Jared would get to see what he looked like in a t-shirt before Jensen graduated.

The conclusion was that Jensen looked  _good_. He looked sturdy, and his body was a straight line. He bent to start moving speakers, and Jared was stuck on the curve of his spine and the bulge of his biceps as he began to pick up a speaker to hand to Jared. "Padalecki, you get ten seconds before I drop this speaker." Jared shook his head and took it quickly, hoisting it up to one shoulder before holding out his hand for a second one. "You get another speaker," Jensen said, pulling his speaker up to his shoulder as well and reaching for a second one. The bottom of his shirt rode up, and Jared nearly dropped the speaker. 

The shirt clung in all the right places to make Jensen look both built and lithe, and Jared found the play of his hands and arms transfixing. "Padalecki!" There were snaps in front of his face, and then Jared was regaining his concentration in time to catch the speaker and reach for another one. "Pay attention, would you? These speakers cost about as much as my phone bill for a year."

"Yeah, right, sorry," Jared replied hurriedly, turning around and speed-walking back into the school, happy that Chad had thought to prop the door open. 

Just before he got inside, people began pouring out into the parking lot, heading for the truck. He saw Jensen weave his way through the people, stumbling a couple of times before breaking free and heading toward the school. His face was bright red from the exertion, and Jared would've asked him if he needed to sit down before he had a heart attack if he weren't so distracted. 

"Are you just gonna stand there all day, Padalecki? We do still have to run through the entire show, you know, so if you're planning to just stand there and be statuesque, then give someone else the speakers." Jared should be angry, or at the very least tossing remarks back at Jensen rapid-fire, but he couldn't do anything but stare. He did have the presence of mind to move out of Jensen's way, only to start following him, inexplicably focused on the way Jensen's legs bent as he walked. They bent outward, which Jared was pretty sure was called being bowlegged. 

 _This is getting ridiculous_ , he thought as he walked into the auditorium and set the speakers down on the stage. Jensen had never distracted him so badly before. It was common knowledge that Jensen was the furthest thing from homely possible, and Jared had never tried to deny that. But for some reason, what he'd simply ignored was now taking up all of his thought processes, and he began to look at their exchanges in a whole new light. They flirted, he and Jensen. BIG time. And Jared could only imagine how intense it must have seemed to people like Julie, Chad, and his mother. 

Was it the not-date? Was that what had changed? It was probably the best reason Jared could think of right now, but as far as he knew, them going to see _Repo_  hadn't been anything special. Jared had spent most of the time paying attention to the lighting effects, and when he wasn't doing that he was singing along at the proper parts to the songs; Jensen had been singing along, too, and he'd looked like he was having fun. He'd looked all subdued and vulnerable again, not closed off or shuttered behind condescension and management. 

Or maybe it had changed when Jared had seen Jensen's face while he looked at his phone a couple of days ago. He'd never seen Jensen look so...unconfident. For the first time, Jared had really seen Jensen as a person, not the taskmaster, not the director, not the adversary. Just Jensen. 

Jensen was someone that Jared liked, he realized as Jensen began walking back outside to get more equipment. Jared liked Jensen a lot. 

Which was all well and good, except now Jared was consciously attracted to someone he'd spent a majority of the year arguing with every chance he got, so the chances of that being mutual were slim. As if that weren't enough, if Jensen had ever seen Jared as someone to pursue, Jared was sure that all of his overbearing remarks regarding hand-holding, ass-riding, Jensen's face, and whirlwind romance had inadvertently ground any such notions into the dust.  _That sucks._

\------------------------------------------------------

Jared spent the rest of the moving and set-up of equipment on autopilot, follwing directions and trying to come to terms with this double revelation that he'd been struck with, and as a result, he nearly missed it when Jensen said, "Padalecki, we're gonna start the run-through, so take this radio and headset and get yourself set up. Stage tech talks through Channel 2, so make sure to remember that, if you're able."

"Yeah, got it," Jared mumbled, still distracted. Suddenly, he was being pulled toward the sound booth, which was off to the side of the stage. He protested, but Jensen actually  _shushed_  him.

"Alright, Padalecki, what gives? You're supposed to be focused today; I know you heard me when I said you were dependable. I meant it, and I really hope that you aren't trying to prove me wrong on purpose for some childish reason." Before waiting for an answer, Jensen signaled something to someone somewhere, and the lights in the auditorium went off. Jensen called out to start the lights and the projector, and he and Jared watched as colored lights began to shift back and forth across the "improved" graffiti. 

"Do we have a couple of scripts and some readers?" Jensen asked.

"Why don't you and Jared do it?"

"Because, Murray, I'm busy talking with Padalecki about important Stage Tech Director things. But since you're so eager to offer up people, you can be a reader. Just go through the lines and we'll watch for any cues we can think of that we won't miss during the show."

"But..."

" _Move_ , Murray." Jared did not find that authoritative, commanding bark to be at all attractive, not one bit. When Chad started reading in a dull monotone, Jensen returned his attention to Jared. "Start talking."

"What do you want me to talk about, Ackles?" Jared retorted. "You wouldn't care to hear about it anyway."

"If I didn't care, Padalecki, I wouldn't have asked. I can't have my Stage Tech director fading in and out of cognizance whenever he wants to without knowing why. So spill. I'll keep you here until you tell me," Jensen added at Jared's hesitation, "So you may as well take what time you need."

That gave Jared one last chance to think about this. All this thinking was already driving him crazy; he wasn't one for over-thinking. He much preferred to just make a decision and go through with it, and deal with the consequences as they came up. But the consequences of this decision were a little different, just because Jared wasn't sure.

Jared got whatever he wanted at least ninety percent of the time, and that was because once he'd set his sights on something, he'd pursue it doggedly until he was successful or until he was victorious. Only rarely was there another outcome, and those cases were usually with people. People weren't objects; Jensen wasn't some prize to be lusted after. Jared wasn't sure if Jensen was single...or gay. There was a lot he didn't know about Jensen, but with the help of these new revelations, he knew that he wanted to know. 

But did Jensen want to tell him? Was Jared thinking about this too much? Impulsive as he was, he really didn't want to mess this up. Messing with Jensen was  _fun_ , and Jared honestly looked forward to seeing him every weekday. And now that he knew the Jensen-person, the one that had taken him to a show after becoming besties with his mother, Jared wanted to keep seeing Jensen for as long as he could. He wanted to  _know_.

He wanted to know why Jensen was so hard on him, why Jensen trusted him so much, why Jensen had singled Jared out of all people. He wanted to know why Jensen had been friendlier than usual this entire week, why Jensen was so focused on this show instead of any other ones he could do during the year, why he'd looked at his phone that way - like he could see his future in his phone screen and didn't like what he'd seen.

Jared wanted to know if Jensen was gay. Or attracted to boys. And also if he was single. So maybe he was overthinking the possible reasons, and the easiest way to find out the truth was to just ask him. 

"Why did you pick me to be so hard on?" Jared asked him, and Jensen blinked. "Why not Chad; he deserves it."

"Believe it or not, Padalecki, I'm no worse to you than I am to anyone else. You just talk more than everyone else does."  _So I'm not special is what he's saying._  

"Okay, so why have you been so nice to me this week? Since I talk back so much, you wouldn't have a good reason to want to get on my good side, right?"

Jensen sighed and said, "I wanted us to be able to talk to each other at least politely so that we could make the show run as smoothly as possible. You're the person with the most experience here with being a stage technician, which is why I made you the director. Us directors have to make sure we can create a smooth environment to pull this off."  _So it's just business. High school volunteer theater business, but still business._  

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Jensen actually leaned away from Jared at this question, and studied him in the dim lighting. The lights started to move on the stage as he continued to stare until Jared started to fidget. "Too personal?"

"I, uh...I wasn't expecting the question," Jensen stuttered, and now Jared was the one given pause. Jensen  _stuttering_? "No, I don't have a girlfriend."

"How about a boyfriend?"

"Are you asking because you're interested?" Jensen shot back jokingly, but when Jared didn't respond immediately, his face turned serious. "...Are you really interested?"

Jared attempted a shrug and got about halfway there. "Yeah, I dunno. I was just wondering." Trying frantically to save face, Jared blurted out, "Because you've been so stressed out I was just wondering if there was somebody you wanted to impress!"

Jensen's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open, and Jared could feel heat rushing to his cheeks. "Look, I'm sorry, I'm being too nosy, and now it's all awkward--"

"Shut it, Padalecki." Jared wondered how long he'd been a mute as he waited for Jensen to continue talking. "You think I'm stressed because I have a...significant other...that's coming?" Jared nodded. "And if I did?" Jared didn't quite know how to respond to that, so he continued to wait. "Well, you're right about someone important being there. But it isn't a significant other. I'm totally single."  _That's a plus, right?_

"So that was the only reason you wanted to know if I was seeing anyone?" Jensen asked, and Jared nodded, looking everywhere but at Jensen. "Padalecki, look at me." Unwillingly, Jared did so. "Are  _you_  seeing anyone?"

"No," Jared replied quickly.

Jensen bit his lip for a minute before he said, "...Do you want to?"

 _This is turning into a game again_ , Jared thought, and though he didn't like it, he was willing to play along. "Do you have any suggestions on who I should see?"

"Murray seems to like you an awful lot," Jensen tried with a small half-smirk, and Jared's stomach tightened. "That's probably the only thing he and I have in common." Jensen's face was completely straight as he said this, and Jared's jaw dropped; how could he just calmly state something that struck Jared like a bolt of lightning? "In case you're missing the hint, Padalecki, I like you."

Trying for nonchalant and ending somewhere around disbelief, Jared responded, "I guess that's good, since I like you, too." He jumped as he felt a warm hand on his leg, and looked down to see Jensen clutching his knee lightly. "I, uh..."

"Are you serious?" Jensen asked, and Jared nodded, once again at a loss as to what to say. Jensen looked at him for a moment longer, then started to move forward, bracing his weight on Jared's knee and moving up to his thigh. His face got closer and closer, and Jared barely remembered to move the microphone on his headset before Jensen's mouth met his. 

It was drier than Jared had been expecting, but also softer. It was nice. Jared's hands moved up Jensen's arms, grabbing his shoulders as Jensen's other hand fisted in Jared's shirt. Jensen moaned quietly, and his mouth opened at the same time Jared's did, and their breaths mingled as they shared more short kisses. 

Jensen moved far enough away that he could speak and said quietly, "Needs some work, Padalecki." Before Jared could shove him away, Jensen surged forward, pushing Jared backward until the backs of his thighs hit something solid. Jensen's mouth smacked against his, and this time his tongue traced Jared's bottom lip. "We'd better get started," Jensen muttered against Jared's lips, and Jared's brain turned to mush. All he could hear was his heart pounding in his chest and thudding in his throat, and all he could feel, all he wanted to feel, was more of this.

This kiss was wetter, it was sloppy, and Jared liked it a lot. He didn't know how much time had passed, but Chad was still reading, so it hadn't been too long. "Padalecki...how far do you want this to go?"

Still dazed, Jared said, "How far do you think we can get?"

Jensen grinned as he looked around. "We're in a bit of an enclosure, with high walls, and the background music's started. I think we can get pretty far." To prove his point, Jensen pushed his hips forward, and Jared's thighs hit whatever was behind him again, and his hands slammed against what felt like the control board for the lights. "But not if you're gonna make all that noise and fuck with the light show," Jensen said next, muffling Jared's retort. Jared groaned as quietly as he could, once again unable to do anything but kiss Jensen back. 

His head fell backward as Jensen's hands moved from in his shirt to under it, massaging him gently as his hands mapped out Jared's torso. Letting out short breaths, Jared's hips began to push back against Jensen's, which only made Jensen push harder. The friction was quickly turning  _really awesome_ , and Jared couldn't seem to control his vocal cords.

That was made even more difficult when Jensen's hands settled under his shirt on his hips and Jensen's mouth began to lick and nip all over Jared's throat and collarbone where his shirt didn't cover it. "Padalecki, put a cork in it," Jensen mumbled. "Unless you want to be found out. You'd probably like that, since you like attention so much." Jensen's hands were on Jared's waistband, and the blood that had been roaring in Jared's ears was moving south fast.

"Would you like that, Padalecki? If people began to notice how noisy you are, and came looking, and found us like this?" Jensen's voice was getting lower and lower, and it made Jared's toes curl and his back arch.  _This is insane._  "Found us, you up against the switchboard, my hands down the front of your pants?"

 _What?_  Jared's question was answered when Jensen's hand undid the button of his jeans and pulled the zipper down before snaking inside and pressing the palm flat against his erection. He almost yelled when Jensen began to move his hand back and forth in tiny strokes, but Jensen pulled his head forward and started kissing him again. "I'm starting to think you really do want to be found out, you little exhibitionist." Jared shivered, and Jensen laughed. "What do you say we give anyone who comes looking a show?"

Jared felt cool air on his lower stomach before he realized that Jensen was pulling his erection out and was palming it fully now. He moaned, he couldn't help it; he was just glad that there was a musical number going on right now. As far as he knew, no one was any the wiser of what they were doing.  _But what if they were?_  The thought was almost too scary to think about...almost.  _What if they did know? What if they could see you?_  Jared had never even thought to think of himself as someone who would get off on doing things like this in public places, but maybe that's exactly the kind of person he was. If it got Jensen to stroke and rub and-- "Oh god," Jared breathed. 

"Nope, just me," Jensen replied with a wink as he kissed his way down Jared's chest and stomach, stopping and tonguing around Jared's navel as his strokes grew firmer. Jared was going to come undone soon, embarrassing as that was, but this was all new, so he thought that Jensen would forgive him. 

All it took was four strokes and Jensen's  _breath_  on him before Jared could feel his balls tightening. His eyes rolled back and his hips bucked once, twice, and then his vision turned white. But the lights were still going, and they were bright and wild and out-of-control, much like Jared felt, so his vision was all color. He was dangerously close to sensory overload, and he could've sworn he stopped breathing as Jensen stroked him through it, prolonging it for as long as possible.

Jared's shirt had somehow been shucked up around his armpits, and his stomach felt oddly cool. But he didn't have time to think about it, because Jensen was kissing him again, and moving Jared's hands to his own pants where Jared could feel him straining against the material. Jensen's hips moved against Jared's hands, and Jared somehow managed to unbutton and unzip Jensen's pants. Jensen was breathing like he was running a marathon, and when Jared's hands found Jensen's skin and began to move, he started to let out little grunts in time with the thrusts of his hips.

Jared realized Jensen was whispering something that was getting slowly more audible, and as Jensen's movements got more erratic, Jared could hear it better and better. "Jared, Jared,  _Jared_ ," was the only word that left Jensen's mouth; it sounded like a chant, and Jared liked it. His strokes got faster and Jensen got louder until he moaned, face pushed into Jared's neck, " _Jared!_ "

Jensen's dick pulsed and then Jared felt more coolness strike his stomach in long lines. His vision had completely returned in time to see Jensen's head fall back, and Jared nosed at his pulse point as Jensen let out a shaky breath. Eventually his head came back down and they stared at each other for a little while before Jensen gave him a small smile. Jared returned it uncertainly as they started to get themselves cleaned up, though Jared didn't know how he was going to get to a bathroom without getting found out. At the same time, he couldn't really be bothered to care all that much if people did know.  _Whatever._

"What whatever?" Jared hadn't realized he'd spoken aloud, and quickly shook his head. 

"Nothing. I was just thinking about what everyone would say if they figured out what just happened." Jensen smirked at him and tugged his shirt down. "Ugh, Ackles, you stretched my shirt out."

"All the better to pull you places with," Jensen replied, completely unrepentant. 

"I really liked this shirt, though," Jared whined, and Jensen rolled his eyes.

"Tell you what. If you let that shirt touch you, you'll have to wash it, and then it'll shrink right back. Problem solved." Jensen's voice lacked a vast majority of its usual heat, sounding fond instead, and Jared didn't quite know what to make of what had happened, or what was going to happen now.

Suddenly, they heard a throat clearing, and found Chad and everyone else staring at them, Chad tapping his foot with arms crossed. "Uh, is there a problem?" Jared asked him cautiously.

"Nah, not really," Chad replied. "Or at least, not one that you two would've noticed, all...up in each other's business like you were. Do us all a favor next time? Turn your headsets off."

Jared and Jensen looked at each other, and Jared burst out into laughter first. "Maybe," he choked out, "Maybe you shouldn't have had your radios set to Channel 2!" He and Jensen howled with laughter, and Chad's face got steadily redder.

"Did you enjoy the earful you got?" Jensen asked when he was able to, and Chad shook his head and threw his arms up in the air before storming away. "Oh man, this shouldn't be this funny," Jensen said eventually, wiping at his eye with one finger.

"No, but what makes it funnier is the text message he sent me about you," Jared replied, digging his phone out as they left the auditorium and headed for the bathroom, ignoring the stares of everyone else. He flipped his phone open and handed it to Jensen as he began to wet paper towels, and he knew Jensen had finished it when he heard a loud snort. "That was attractive."

"Shut it," Jensen replied eloquently. "So how does it feel to know that I am 'so gay 4 u'?"

"Well, it did feel pretty awesome for a while there," Jared said thoughtfully, pausing long enough for Jensen to push him aside so that he could wash his hands. "But no, it feels pretty awesome. How do you like 'seeing someone'?"

"Eh, it was fun at first, but now all we do is  _talk about our feelings_."


	2. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is, the epilogue, written one year to the day after the fic itself was written and published. Weird, right? Anyway...
> 
> This is unbeta'd, so any mistakes are mine and mine alone.
> 
> Disclaimer: the names mentioned in this fic belong to people who are not me and whom I do not own, including the Associate Dean of UCLA's Theater and Film Department. I avoided using his name directly, but any resemblance to Dr. Rose in this fanfiction is unintentional and in no way real. Additionally, I do not and have never attended UCLA, and while I am currently applying to graduate schools, my passion is history, not theater. Therefore, if I have any part of the application process or UCLA's programs wrong, just chalk it up to creative license (I only did some cursory research via the school's website) and try not to rip me a new one too bad.

Jared took off his headset, grinning. It was closing night, their last show, and Jared could honestly say it had been the best show yet. The other performances had all been great, too, of course - Jensen wouldn't have tolerated anything less, not if he could help it - but they'd all felt the jitters that first night. Luckily, everyone remembered their lines, Jared and the other stage techs had managed to keep up with the lights and music, and they got standing ovations every night. Tonight was no different, and as everyone came out onto the stage for their bows, the applause only got louder. 

 _I gotta admit_ , Jared thought as someone grabbed his arm and hauled him out under one of the spotlights, _we definitely deserve this for how hard we worked. And for how much Jensen put into this._

It was weird, how quickly Jared's opinion of Jensen and the show had changed after what had happened in the sound booth. But then, Jared now knew something that he'd never even thought of before the opening night cast party. 

\------------------------------------------------------

They'd all been hanging out behind the school, killing a little bit of time with congratulations and jokes before they left, but Jensen had been noticeably absent. Frowning, Jared had waved off Chad and gone in search of him, slipping back inside the school before everyone cleared out.

After calling his name a few times, Jared had found Jensen in the bathroom, phone out and opened next to him on the sink. Jensen had his hands on the edge of the sink, leaning forward, head bowed. Jared could slightly see his face from that angle, and he'd had the same look that Jared remembered seeing as he sat cross-legged on the stage, thumbs rapidly moving over his phone's keyboard.

Remembering also how easily Jensen had startled then, Jared had said softly, "Jensen?" The other boy started forward as his head snapped up to catch Jared's gaze in the mirror, and his expression looked so tight that Jared had rushed forward and draped himself over Jensen's back like a shawl. The tightness in Jensen's face had been duplicated in his body; his shoulders so tense they shook, knuckles white where they gripped the counter.

"What is it?" Jared had murmured, brushing his lips across the nape of Jensen's neck on instinct, trying to soothe him. " _Repo_ was great; great performances aren't usually cause for constipation, unless you took something so that you wouldn't have to succumb to nature's call and could stay the whole time. Which you might actually do."

Jensen had stared at him in the mirror for awhile longer before huffing and rolling his shoulders as he straightened, making Jared back away just a little. But only a little. "Remember how I said someone important was coming?" he had asked. At Jared's nod, Jensen had grabbed his phone and scrolled quickly before tapping the screen and then handing it to Jared. Taking it, Jared found that he was reading an email:

_Mr. Ackles,_

_Due to the strength of your application as well as your comments on your current project, we plan to send a member of the application committee to the final performance of your adaptation of_ Repo: The Genetic Opera. _The point of this is, first and foremost, to ascertain the quality of your work, but also to give us an opportunity to see you in person; to that end, the member of the committee that you will meet will serve as your primary adviser throughout your time here, should you enroll and attend._

_We are looking forward to seeing you in action. In your reply to this email, please attach a finalized schedule of performances so that your potential adviser can plan accordingly._

_Break a leg!_

"I don't recognize this name," Jared had said quietly when he'd finished reading the email. 

"That's the Associate Dean for UCLA's Theater Department." The reply had been terse, but Jared sensed that it hadn't been directed at him. "They liked what they saw in my application, and when I mentioned that I was directing an adaptation of _Repo_ , that sparked their interest even more, so they're sending a representative to the last show to make sure I'm not lying or something."

Suddenly, Jensen's attitude had made sense. Jared had let out a soft whistle and said, "That's kind of a big deal."

Jensen had spun and pinned him with a stare that had absolutely _not_ made Jared have to repress a shiver. "Thanks for stating the obvious, Padalecki. If I wanted--" Jared could tell what was happening, and he wasn't going to let Jensen sass his way out of this, so he'd moved forward again and pecked Jensen lightly on the lips, effectively cutting him off.

Jensen had let out a surprised, if slightly irritated noise, like he'd known what Jared was doing, but his hand came to rest on the back of Jared's neck, refusing to let him pull away. Jared could feel Jensen calming as time passed and they'd stood there, sharing air. 

Finally, Jared had said, "It's okay to be nervous. But the show's gonna be awesome."

"But what if it isn't awesome enough?" Jensen had asked, misery only just hidden from his voice, and Jared had marveled for a moment that their relationship had changed so quickly. 

"Don't worry about that," he'd replied firmly, gripping Jensen's shoulders gently. "It'll be great. You're a great director. And besides, you've got me as your Stage Tech Director." Pulling away with a smile, he'd said flippantly, "There's practically no way this show isn't going to blow everyone's minds."

"Yeah, yeah," Jensen had replied, seeming more relaxed. "Just try not to get so distracted that we have to traumatize Chad again in the sound booth."

"That was your idea. But it's really hard for you to keep your hands off of me; I accept that."

"How kind of you." The dry tone was one that Jared knew well. "Do you think you can possibly deflate your ego? It's suffocating me, and I don't think it'll be able to fit through the door if you try and leave."

Jared had wrapped his arms around Jensen's shoulders and said, "If I have to suffer being stranded in a lavatory, I refuse to suffer alone."

"It's okay that you're needy; I accept that about you."

\------------------------------------------------------

Jensen would be fine. And now here they were, a week later (they'd done a total of six performances), and Jared could see how huge the audience was as he and the other cast and crew bowed in waves. He could see someone standing in the front row, and could reasonably assume who he was; his arm was still sore from when Jensen had squeezed his arm upon noticing the man walk in. 

Putting his headset back on, Jared said, "Thank you, everyone. We're glad you enjoyed the show! And now, can we have one last round of applause for our director, Jensen Ackles?" More shouts and clapping, and even some stomping made Jared grin again. "Mr. Ackles, is there anything you'd like to say?" Jared continued, looking around on the stage until he saw Jensen stepping forward, fixing him with a look that made Jared flip his hair and smile cheekily. 

Jensen turned on the hand microphone he was holding and said after the applause had died down, "I didn't really have a grand speech or anything planned, because I'm not really the talkative one." He glared at Jared again, and a few people laughed. "Thanks, everyone, and I'm glad you liked the show."

"I already said that, Jensen," Jared cut in, to more laughter.

Jensen ignored him with apparently minimal effort, though he did smile a little. "It really does make me happy to see so many people moving and even singing along sometimes - that karaoke session really hadn't been planned." More people laughed; the sound had cut out during one of the shows and the actors had had to sing _a cappella_ until someone in the audience joined in. 

"I don't know about you, but I'm really proud of the actors and the stage hands; without them, this show wouldn't have been one-tenth as enjoyable. I worked these guys to the bone most of the time, but they stuck around anyway." Here, Jensen's smile turned rueful, and it made Jared want to kiss him and smack him, maybe or maybe not in that order or at the same time, "And I'm really glad they did. So can we have one more round of applause for the cast and crew? Don't worry, if your hands fall off, we can rebuild them. We have the technology." 

The applause remained as enthusiastic as ever, and it made Jared feel a little light-headed with how unreal it all seemed; Jensen looked the same way Jared felt. "It's been a long road to get to this point," he said next, "and there are some people I'd like to thank especially for getting everyone there." 

He went into the individual congratulations and thanks then, and every person Jensen mentioned got a glass vial full of a bright blue liquid. "Don't worry, it isn't actually Zydrate in the vials; it's just water with food coloring, I swear," Jensen said with another smile, and Jared was pretty sure that the entire portion of the audience that was their age or younger had to brace themselves to keep from swooning. 

After that had all been taken care of, Jared slipped his vial (if Jensen's hand had lingered on his after handing him his vial and jokingly making Jared promise he wouldn't do anything with the vial other than look at it, no one - not even Chad - said anything) in his pocket. Jensen said his final words, they all gave one more bow to one more round of applause, and then they were filing off the stage on either side. Jensen stayed on the stage as the man in the front row made his way up there, and Jared stayed in the shadows of one of the buildings after turning the lights off, waiting.

He watched them shake hands and the Associate Dean say something that Jared couldn't quite catch. Jensen looked rather at ease while talking to him, but Jared supposed that could just be because, regardless of what happened now, the show was done, and it hadn't been anything close to resembling a disaster, so the stress was mostly gone, and what was left Jensen may have just been too fatigued to care about. 

"Thank you very much for coming, sir," he heard Jensen say, and then Jensen was walking toward him while the other man made his way off of the stage and out of the auditorium. Jared met him before he got backstage and gave him a questioning look. Jensen didn't reply until they were heading outside and toward Jensen's car. 

Jensen sat down, and Jared slid in the passenger's seat, buckling his seat belt and then jiggling his legs in anticipation. Jensen still didn't say anything, just sat back and stared through the windshield until Jared finally said, "If you don't tell me what he said I will actually punch you in the kidneys."

Jensen turned to look at him, and Jared couldn't read his expression. Then, he grinned so widely that Jared's breath got short. "He's going to talk to the admissions committee tomorrow. He told me that he would give me the strongest recommendation he'd given an applicant since before he became Associate Dean back in 1999. I can expect the letter of acceptance in the next few weeks."

Jared probably hurt Jensen with his enthusiastic kisses, but Jensen didn't complain when Jared pulled away, so Jared didn't feel that bad. "Jensen, that's so awesome. He really liked it that much?" 

"He did; he said he could clearly see that I was a natural at directing, and that UCLA would only be hurting itself if I didn't attend."

"So does this mean you'll get that stick out of your ass and act like a normal human being now?" Jared asked, grinning, and Jensen punched him in the arm. Pouting, Jared said, "And here I was planning to give you something special for being an awesome director just like I said you were. Not only do you not listen to me, you physically assault me, as well. What ever did I do to deserve this?"

Jensen leaned over and kissed him softly, grabbing Jared's thigh and giving it a squeeze before pulling back and starting the car. "You said you liked me back, Padalecki. _After_ you asked if I was dating anyone. And do I really need to go into your behavior leading up to and even during the performances?" He was smirking as he pulled out of the school parking lot, but Jared exhaled noisily anyway, sounding heavily put upon. "What's this 'something special' you were gonna give me?" Jensen asked a little bit later.

"I'm not gonna tell you that," Jared replied. "It's a surprise."

Jensen looked disgruntled at that, but then said, "Fair enough. If it's similar to what I wanted to give you, then I'm pretty sure I can guess."

"It isn't a little glass vial, Ackles. Only you would think of giving people something like that."

"I wasn't talking about that, Padalecki. You'll get it at the cast party. It does have to do with anatomy, though." He flicked a heated glance up and down Jared's body out of the corner of his eye, and Jared's jaw dropped slightly, licking his lips unconsciously. His chest felt tight as images flashed through his head. If Jensen's half-smile was anything to go by, he knew what Jared was thinking about, and was thinking about the exact same things. 

\------------------------------------------------------

It turned out that Jared wasn't immediately going to get whatever Jensen had planned for him, since once they arrived at Jensen's house everyone started cheering and congratulating their directors before pulling them toward the snacks and drinks, pushing plates and cups into their hands. Jensen appeared to be enjoying himself, but Jared only became more agitated as the night went on. 

By the time people were clearing out or had settled themselves in for the night, Jared was practically vibrating with the need to get his hands on Jensen. Jensen, the asshole, looked at Jared and had the nerve to laugh and shake his head before heading for what was probably his bedroom. Jared was on his heels, closer than a shadow, and once the door was closed he had Jensen up against it, hands on either side of his head, bodies flush against each other. Jensen smirked against Jared's lips before pushing lightly on his chest. "Get on the bed, Padalecki. I'm not the one taking orders here."

"This isn't a play, and you aren't the director, Ackles," Jared retorted, but went where Jensen guided him, landing on his back on the bed. Jensen didn't reply, opting instead to kiss Jared, biting down lightly on his lower lip before running his tongue over it. He was no expert, but then again, neither was Jared, and they had all the advantages of adolescence, namely getting turned on by a stray wind and then staying that way for hours unless they got off. 

"I can practically hear your brain running even though your mouth isn't, Padalecki," Jensen muttered against his lips. "You got something to share with the class?" Jared let out a strangled sound when Jensen slipped his hand under Jared's shirt to skate over his stomach, nails rasping against his skin. "A startling insight." 

"Now who's talking too much?" Jared shot back before getting Jensen's mouth occupied with his own. Jensen's hand slid down and his fingers ran under the waistband of Jared's jeans, making Jared tilt his head back and groan under his breath. "God, Jensen. Stop taking forever."

"How long this takes will depend on how long you can last, Padalecki," Jensen replied smoothly, unbuttoning and unzipping Jared's jeans and slipping his hand inside to run his palm along the warm length. Jared bit out another groan as his whole body arched into Jensen's barely-there grip, and when Jensen lowered his head to Jared's neck and began to press soft, open kisses Jared found himself much closer to the edge than he wanted to be. 

"Jensen, hold on." Jensen made a disappointed noise, but sat back with a sigh and watched Jared patiently, hand still shifting in Jared's pants. Taking the opportunity, Jared pushed at Jensen's shirt and succeeded in getting it off. Running his thumbs over Jensen's nipples, Jared grinned when the action made Jensen let out a sharp exhale and hunch his shoulders. "If I recall correctly, Ackles, you weren't exactly capable of a marathon, either." He and Jensen undid Jensen's pants and Jared gripped at Jensen's hips, fingers dipping into his underwear to touch bare skin. "And who even said this was a contest?"

"Everything's a contest with you, Padalecki," Jensen replied, helping Jared to remove his shirt and pulling at both pairs of pants until they were bunched around their knees. "Who gets the last word, who gives the better speech, who gets off first." They struggled for a moment to get their pants off entirely, and when Jared laughed, Jensen gave him a small smile. 

Then they were kissing again, and Jensen's body dipped and came to rest against Jared's, their thighs, groins, and torsos all lining up as he gently rocked his hips. The soft fabric of Jensen's underwear dragged against Jared's skin, becoming one of a few focal points that Jared's focus became narrowed down to.

He heard the whisper of the fabric; felt the hardness underneath it that slid over his crotch and lower stomach in the groove of skin, bone, and muscle; smelled Jensen's sweat and deodorant mingling with his; tasted the skin of Jensen's neck and jaw as he moved his mouth over it before they kissed again, deeply; felt the vibration of Jensen's softly uttered moans, their tongues touching and running over teeth and gums, and their warm breath mingling in the air. Jared reveled in the buzzing feeling that settled just under his skin, making him feel like he was floating, pinned down only by the smooth body above him. 

Jensen's mouth moved away from his, and he whispered, "M'gonna blow you now, Jared." Jared moaned and nodded as Jensen put a finger to his lips before kissing at Jared's jaw, neck, and collarbone. From there, he seemed to try and map out Jared's torso with his mouth, spending particular time at any area that got an unexpected reaction out of Jared. It was almost unbearable, and Jared wanted to cry with relief when Jensen was finally straddling his leg and mouthing just above the waistband of his boxer briefs. 

He jumped when Jensen's teeth clamped lightly on the skin over his lower stomach, and shuddered when cool breath ghosted over the damp patch that Jensen had left. Lightly calloused fingers gripped his briefs and pulled them down, and Jensen put his mouth on every centimeter of newly exposed skin. Jared knew at some point that he'd started babbling, breathless, a steady stream of expletives and pleas mixed with Jensen's name. 

"Shhh, Jared," Jensen said, and that was all the warning Jared got before Jensen's tongue moved along the exposed underside of Jared's dick, lapping at the bundle of nerves just under the head before his mouth closed over just the tip. Jared bit into his palm to keep the moan back; Jensen moaned too, before apparently losing interest in taking it slow or teasing Jared or whatever the hell he'd been doing. The waistband tugged down and under Jared's balls, Jensen suckled on the head of his dick before gripping near the base and taking Jared further in until his lips met his fingers.

"Unnnhh, Jen, god," Jared groaned quietly, and Jensen made a deep noise in his throat in reply. His tongue flattened against the underside and his lips parted wider over the flared cockhead, and Jared felt his balls tightening in a manner that would've been downright embarrassing if he could be bothered to care. "I'm gonna...I'm close, fuck, _Jensen_." Jensen's eyelids fluttered as his head bobbed up and down over Jared's dick, and Jared could see him fisting himself roughly, shiny pink head just barely visible under tanned skin. 

Jensen started stroking Jared in time with the movements of his mouth, and Jared counted exactly seven seconds before he was letting out a choked half-sob that was all the warning Jensen would get as Jared let himself spill into and down Jensen's mouth and throat. Jensen let out a deep moan that vibrated around Jared's dick and sent shocks through his whole body as Jensen's lower body jerked and he came, shooting all over his fist and Jared's thigh. 

Finally, Jared whined, and Jensen pulled away, half-hard dick dragging through his own semen as he moved up to kiss Jared again. Jared could taste himself in Jensen's mouth and smell himself on Jensen's face, and it was kind of gross, but way more awesome, because blowjobs are way more awesome than gross. When they stopped kissing and Jensen got up, presumably to go to the bathroom, he looked deeply satisfied as his eyes flicked over Jared's prone form.

He looked fucked out, lips red and puffy, eyes glittering, with that smirk that made Jared's dick twitch with already-renewed interest, and Jared was up and following him to the bathroom. He shut the door behind them as Jensen turned on the light, and then plastered himself to Jensen's back as the slightly shorter teenager washed his hands before brushing his teeth.

After he'd finished, Jared grabbed his chin lightly, guiding his head back to kiss him soft and slow. "I feel kinda bad that I got this awesome BJ and you just jerked yourself off," he muttered, and smiled when Jensen shrugged. Looking him in the eye, Jared had the pleasure of watching the spark blaze and then settle when he said, "I guess that means you get your special something as a wake-up call tomorrow morning."

Jensen's hands came up to loop around Jared's neck and shoulders as Jensen replied, "That was gonna be my guess. You aren't very creative, Padalecki."

"Just you wait, Ackles," Jared said, voice intent. "Just you wait."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it. Merry Christmas, y'all. c:


End file.
